If you have preferences about what happens to your digital footprint after your death, you need to take action—because if you don’t, your online legacy will be determined for you, not by you.
Nearly everyone today has digital assets. These accounts and the data they hold are part of your legacy—whether personal, sentimental, or financial—and should be treated with the same care as your physical property. Depending on the platform, some accounts may remain active indefinitely, others may expire from inactivity, and some allow you to assign a person to manage or delete your data posthumously.
In this guide, we’ll explore how major platforms handle accounts after a user’s death and outline a clear five-step process for including these digital assets in your estate plan to ensure they’re managed in line with your wishes.
How Major Platforms Handle Accounts After Death
Facebook allows you to designate a “Legacy Contact” to manage your profile after your death. Once your account is memorialized, “Remembering” appears next to your name, and confirmed friends can view your timeline and post tributes.
A Legacy Contact can write a pinned post, respond to friend requests, and change your profile and cover photos. They can also request account deletion.
They cannot log into your account, read your messages, or make new friend requests. If you haven’t selected a Legacy Contact, Facebook can still memorialize your account if your family submits a request with proof of death.
Google (Gmail, YouTube, Drive, etc.)
Google offers an Inactive Account Manager tool. You can:
- Choose a period of inactivity (3, 6, 12, or 18 months) before action is taken.
- Designate up to 10 people to receive your data.
- Decide what data they can access (emails, photos, docs, etc.).
- Choose to automatically delete your account.
If you don’t set this up, your account will be deleted after two years of inactivity. For assets like monetized YouTube content, this planning can be financially significant.
Instagram (owned by Meta) does not offer Legacy Contacts, but loved ones can memorialize your account by submitting proof of death. They can also request deletion, which requires more documentation: proof of death, proof of relation (e.g., will, estate letter), and a birth certificate.
Memorialized accounts cannot be edited, and posts are preserved for existing audiences but no longer appear publicly.
X (Formerly Twitter)
X offers only one option: deactivation.
If your family has your login info, they can deactivate your account themselves. If not, verified family members or estate executors can request removal by submitting a form, ID, and a death certificate. Once approved, the account is permanently deleted.
Apple (iCloud, iMessage, App Store, etc.)
Apple allows users to assign a Legacy Contact—or multiple contacts—who can access your iCloud data and manage your Apple devices after your death.
Legacy Contacts can access:
- Photos, videos, notes, messages
- Contacts, calendars, files, and device backups
They cannot access payment info, iCloud email, or licensed media like music or movies.
Legacy Contacts need an access key, your date of birth, and a death certificate to gain access. Once granted, they receive a special Apple ID and have three years to access the account before it’s deleted.
How to Include Digital Assets in Your Estate Plan
Whether your digital assets are sentimental or financially valuable—or even if you want some to remain private after your death—these five steps will ensure they’re handled according to your wishes:
1. Create a Detailed Asset Inventory with Access Instructions
List every digital account you own—from email and social media to online banking, cloud storage, or cryptocurrency wallets. Include:
- URLs
- Usernames
- Passwords (stored securely, not in your will)
- Instructions for accessing and managing them
Use a password manager like LastPass to simplify ongoing access and updates. For crypto, include a detailed “How To” guide to ensure trusted contacts can access it.
2. Add Digital Assets to Your Estate Plan
After creating your digital asset inventory, the next step is to legally incorporate those assets into your estate plan. Typically, this is done through a will or revocable living trust, where you can specify who should manage or inherit each asset and provide general instructions for their handling. Sensitive login information should never be included in your legal documents, as wills become public records; instead, store that data securely and ensure your fiduciary knows how to access it.
For added support, consider using a digital estate management service or authorizing your fiduciary to consult with an IT professional if needed. If your estate includes complex digital assets, such as cryptocurrency, you may also want to appoint a digital executor—a designated individual tasked specifically with managing your online accounts and digital property.
3. Limit Access to Specific Assets
Decide what you want to share and what you prefer to keep private. Clearly outline restrictions on access, such as emails, messages, or social media content.
An attorney can help you legally formalize these boundaries within your estate documents to protect your privacy and intentions.
4. Include Relevant Hardware
Include physical devices—laptops, phones, USB drives—as part of your estate plan. Specify who should receive each item, which may be different from who inherits the data.
5. Use Each Platform’s Access Tools
Many platforms offer built-in tools to set up account access after your death (e.g., Facebook’s Legacy Contact, Google’s Inactive Account Manager, Apple’s Legacy Contact).
Be sure:
- To activate these tools where available
- That the names in these tools match your estate plan beneficiaries, or the platform’s preferences may override your will or trust
Adapt Your Estate Plan to the Evolving Digital Universe
As technology continues to evolve, your estate plan should evolve with it. Digital assets can carry tremendous emotional, financial, and even legal weight. At Legacy Counsel PLC, we help you build a comprehensive estate plan that addresses every piece of your legacy—online and off—with clarity, care, and privacy.
Our Life & Legacy Planning Process is designed to ensure that all your assets are protected, preserved, and passed on seamlessly. Whether it’s family photos in iCloud, a monetized YouTube channel, or cryptocurrency wallets, we’re here to help you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death—for yourself and the people you love.
Contact Legacy Counsel PLC Today
This article is a service of Legacy Counsel PLC, a trusts and estates law firm in Saint Joseph, Michigan. We don’t just draft documents—we guide you through life and legacy decisions with intention.
We offer a Life & Legacy Planning Session to help you start the process. Contact us to schedule your appointment online or call us today.
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